Toronto, Ontario Sep 4, 2025 (Issuewire.com) - Lindsay Martel Montgomery, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, has been recognized for her innovative research on Indigenous-colonial interactions in the American Southwest. Following her participation in the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) annual meetings in Denver in April 2025, Montgomerys work was selected by the Amerind Foundation as part of a competitive workshop program that will culminate in an edited volume published by the University of Arizona Press.
This achievement highlights Montgomerys growing role as a leading scholar in reshaping how time, place, and colonial encounters are studied within archaeology and anthropology. Her work contributes to an international effort to reframe historical narratives by prioritizing Indigenous perspectives and challenging dominant Western chronologies and frameworks of interpretation.
A Session That Redefines Time
The workshop emerged from a symposium at the SAA meetings titled Retelling Time in Indigenous-Colonial Interactions across North America. Co-organized by Kaitlin Brown (California State University, Northridge) and Lee Panich (Santa Clara University), the session convened a diverse group of scholars working across regions and time periods. Collectively, participants challenged the rigid chronological categories that often shape historical understanding, such as the division between history-prehistory or the creation of temporal periods linked to colonial occupations like the Spanish, Mexican, or American eras.
Instead of treating time as a linear sequence dictated by colonial frameworks, the symposium examined how Indigenous peoples and other historically marginalized groups experienced and narrated colonialism. By emphasizing agency, continuity, and resilience, the session invited new approaches to historical interpretationones that foreground lived experiences rather than externally imposed typologies and timelines.
Lindsay Martel Montgomerys contribution was central to this conversation. Drawing on her long-standing collaborative research with Indigenous communities, she presented work that reconsiders the intersection of colonial histories, personal narratives, and placemaking among Hopi tribal members. . Her scholarship shows how the lived experience of Hopi people challenge colonial assimilationist efforts and reveal deeper patterns of Indigenous persistence.
Selected by the Amerind Foundation
The Amerind Foundation, a respected institution dedicated to advancing research in anthropology and archaeology, unanimously selected the symposium l to receive support for a post-conference workshop. The Foundations recognition reflects both the intellectual strength of the session and its potential to transform scholarly and public conversations about North American history.
More On Netglobalnews ::
- Jay Justified to Launch “JUSTIFIED” Activewear Line, Gearing Up for Major 2025 Comeback
- Judith Kutzleb, DNP: A Pillar of Excellence in Nursing at Holy Name Primary Care and Specialty Associates
- Introducing The Metacube Square
- Massachusetts Photo Booth Company BostonPhoto360 Announces Statewide Expansion and Strategic New Hire
- Top Tier Well Inspection Robot Factory Unveils Innovations at Trenchless Asia 2025!
Montgomery joined fellow scholars for an intensive three-day workshop at the Amerind campus, where participants refined their papers, debated key themes, and developed a collective vision for the forthcoming volume. The gathering focused on three guiding concepts:
- Blurring the Lines, which challenges conventional chronological boundaries and emphasizes the overlapping, palimpsestic nature of colonial encounters.
- Breaking the Bounds, which calls for viewing material culture through emic perspectives and highlighting how objects take on multiple, evolving meanings across time.
- Flipping the Script, which shifts narratives from top-down colonial accounts to Indigenous-centered experiences of historical moments.
Through these themes, the workshop underscored the need for more nuanced understandings of Indigenous-colonial interactionsunderstandings that resist reductionist periodizations and instead highlight complexity, endurance, and cultural continuity.
Publication with the University of Arizona Press
The culmination of this process will be an edited volume published by the University of Arizona Press, a leading academic press known for its contributions to anthropology and Indigenous studies. The volume, anticipated in the coming years, will gather revised versions of the workshop papers into a cohesive book that sets a new standard for scholarship on time, colonialism, and archaeology in North America.
Montgomerys chapter will contribute to this groundbreaking collection, reinforcing her reputation as a scholar committed to decolonizing archaeological practice and integrating Indigenous perspectives and knowledge into academic research.
Montgomerys Perspective
Reflecting on her participation, Lindsay Martel Montgomery emphasized the broader stakes of the project. This volume is about more than revisiting timelines or reinterpreting events, she explained. It is about rethinking how we conceptualize time itself, and how colonial narratives have too often erased or obscured Indigenous experiences. By centering oral histories and lived traditions, we are not simply critiquing old modelswe are proposing new ways of understanding the past that are accountable to BIPOC communities.
Her remarks echo her long-standing advocacy for community-based research models that prioritize reciprocity, shared authority, and respect. Montgomerys work consistently highlights how community knowledge can enrich, complicate, and sometimes overturn the assumptions embedded in Western academic frameworks.
Broader Impact on Archaeology
Montgomerys involvement in the Amerind workshop and forthcoming volume reflects a larger shift underway in archaeology and anthropology. For decades, scholars have debated how to decolonize research methods and narratives. The session on Retelling Time marks a concrete step in this direction, offering practical frameworks for integrating Indigenous perspectives into the study of colonial history.
This shift has profound implications for museums, heritage institutions, and universities. By rethinking how time and history are conceptualized, institutions can move toward more inclusive narratives that acknowledge ongoing Indigenous presence and resilience.
Montgomerys leadership in this space is already visible. At the University of Toronto, she develops courses that center BIPOC voices, critique colonial frameworks, and develop alternative approaches to heritage management. She mentors graduate students, many of whom are pursuing projects in collaboration with Indigenous communities. Her scholarship bridges academic research, public engagement, and policy, positioning her as a central figure in reshaping the field.
Building on Long-Term Commitments
This recognition by the Amerind Foundation builds on Montgomerys broader career, which has been defined by long-term partnerships with Indigenous communities across North America. From collaborative projects with Picuris Pueblo to work on trauma-informed archaeological practices, she consistently emphasizes the importance of relationship-building, accountability, and care.
Her scholarship often integrates oral histories and Indigenous worldviews with archaeological evidence, creating naratives that elevate Indigenous values and perspectives. By situating material findings within living traditions, Montgomery challenges extractive models of research and demonstrates how archaeology can serve communities rather than simply study them.
Looking Ahead
The forthcoming University of Arizona Press volume promises to shape scholarly debates for years to come. For Montgomery, it represents not just a professional milestone but a continuation of her commitment to building scholarship that is rigorous, ethical, and inclusive.
As she looks to the future, Montgomery plans to continue developing projects that connect archaeological research with Indigenous-led initiatives. These include digital archiving, heritage education, and expanded collaborative fieldwork. Her goal is to ensure that research outcomes remain accessible, relevant, and beneficial to the communities most directly connected to the histories being studied.
About Lindsay Martel Montgomery
Lindsay Martel Montgomery is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Stanford University and specializes in Indigenous archaeology, heritage ethics, and community-based research. Her projects across North America have advanced models of trauma-informed practice, Indigenous data governance, and collaborative heritage management.
Montgomerys leadership as a scholar, educator, and collaborator has made her a recognized voice in the movement to decolonize archaeology. Her research continues to influence how universities, museums, and heritage organizations engage with Indigenous histories. She has secured major research grants from organizations including the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), underscoring the innovation and impact of her work. In addition to her academic contributions, she consults widely with museums, nonprofits, and government agencies, helping institutions adopt ethical frameworks and culturally responsive practices.
Through her teaching, writing, and public engagement, Montgomery remains committed to transforming archaeology into a discipline guided by respect, reciprocity, and responsibility.
For more information, please visit, https://lindsay-montgomery.com/
Source :Lindsay Martel Montgomery
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
Popular news